Bass Guitars 5

This photo shows Bassist and Band Lader Armenian So-Cal band System of a Down... more

This photo shows Bassist and Band Lader Armenian So-Cal band System of a Down performing live with a red Ibanez BTB. Ibanez sponsored Shavo Odadjian shortly and in this time he picked up an Ibanez BTB-1000 as well as a BTB-500.

In a [Gibson interview](http://www2.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/... more

In a Gibson interview, Shavo says, "When System of a Down were recording our first record, we went out to buy some equipment. I found this non-reverse body ’66 Thunderbird somewhere in Hollywood. I ended up using it on the entire record. It just felt right. Before that I was using a bass from a different company, and they gave me as many basses as I wanted, in any color I could imagine, but I didn’t like any of them as much as that Thunderbird. Those old Gibsons are the Rolexes and Cadillacs of guitars. They’re all about quality. Just holding that bass made me feel different. You have to fight with it a little to make it your own because it has a heavy headstock that dives to the ground if you let go of the neck. But once I mastered that bass I couldn’t go anywhere else."